A survey was taken a while back of 666 random participants in relation to emergency preparedness. As you look over the survey results below, decide where YOU stand in relation to your family emergency plan:

Are you completely prepared? 13% (85 votes) = I know how to evacuate my home and office and I can access essential financial information. I can camp out for three days, maybe more, if I have to.

Are you somewhat or partially prepared? 28% (186 votes) = I know what to do at the moment disaster strikes (earthquake/tornado/fire/hurricane), but I know I’ll wish I’d prepared better.

Are you working on a plan?17% (116 votes) = I know what to do, but I still need to get it done.

Plan, what plan? = 42% (279 votes) NEARLY 1/2!!!

I fall into the somewhat prepared group. I attended a wonderful class at BYU’s education week a month ago in my hometown of Provo, UT.

The class was taught by a fireman in Utah Valley, Tal Ehlers, who was very experienced with Emergency Preparedness. He talked about the need for a family emergency plan. He suggested a few things that might be of help to you as you consider pulling together the items necessary for survival. The unusual supplies he suggested that I had not considered as part of a Family Emergency Plan included:

Hi there. My name is Vicki Winterton. I have worked as a professional organizer for nearly 10 years. I live in Utah and work in the homes of people located in the Salt Lake Valley and Utah County. I created this blog so that I could share my experiences and help people everywhere learn how to simplify and then organize their home spaces.

Organization is a valuable skill that saves people time AND money, and I have some helpful insights that I’ve learned over the years. In addition to this blog, I’ve created various products and tools that make home organizing doable for people across the USA.

Some of the most disorganized things in a person’s life include:

Home

Time

Family

Personal Life

I have spent many years helping individuals and families organize these areas of their lives. So don’t wait! Use this blog and my website as a resource to help you get started!

Do you know what to do in the early spring to prepare your spring landscape for the upcoming seasons?

This week I invited my hubby Gary to be a guest expert on my online organizing show. He taught about preparing your trees, lawn and planting beds in relation to spring landscaping plans. I invited Gary because he is a self taught spring landscape groomer and does such a good job with our yard that I knew he had some great information to share with my listeners. Below I have posted some photos and links of the spring landscape and general yard care products he mentioned. I also included some spring landscape or yard-care tools he uses but didn’t have time to mention on the show. I will post his spring landscape top yard-care tools and tips under the 3 categories he suggested.

How do you handle your important conversations?Do you plan andorganize yourdifficult conversations BEFORE they take place?

I am a reader. I have always enjoyed reading books to help me better understand myself, those I care about, and the world around me. The last two books I read, ‘Crucial Conversations’ by leadership consultants Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler AND ‘Without Offense – The Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism’ by Dr. John Lund both taught me how to better handle important discussions in a way that is not offensive and can strengthen relationships.

Patterson and group defined difficult conversations as a discussion between two or more people where: (1) the stakes are high, (2) opinions vary, and (3) emotions run strong.

I learned from Patterson’s group that “when participants hold back (because they are afraid of the consequences, want to spare someone’s feelings or don’t want to escalate a conflict) a true dialogue CAN NOT take place.” When you organize the difficult conversations, both participants should be open and remain emotion free.

One of THE most important things I learned in reading Crucial Conversations was to STAY FOCUSED. When you organize your difficult conversations you should be sure you clearly understand WHATI WANT, WHATI WANT FOR THE OTHER PERSONand WHATI WANT FOR THE RELATIONSHIP. I need to also understand before beginning what I DON’T WANT the outcome of the conversation to be.

Create positive family holiday memories with these blended family holiday tips. Blending a family of any variety is an obstacle course with many hardships already built-in to climb above. The holiday season is especially hard because of all the memories (bad AND good) that come attached to each blended family member. This week I invited my friend and neighbor, Janet Peterson, mother of 11 children combined, to share some Blended Family Holiday Tips. Listen here to show #023. My friend Janet has maneuvered the course for many years and has been successful! She shares specifics on holiday activities and traditions that have worked for her blended family over the years. A few suggestions include these:

Home Organizing Help in Utah

Have you or someone you love grown tired of living in disorganized and cluttered spaces? Utah’s professional organizer offers home organizing help by-way-of gift certificates! Just think of it…for ½ the cost of a new desk or ½ the cost of a new TV set, YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE can receive the gift of peace! In fact, at Organizing Mind over Matter, we guarantee greater peace of mind!

Imagine the opportunity to organize a home space, once and for all, so those you love can easily maintain.

Suggest this gift option to those buying gifts for you OR give the gift of home organizing help to someone you love who has tried and just doesn’t have the know-how to make it happen on their own.

Building a stronger family unit is the goal of every mother I know! Holiday family traditions are a great way for families to come together to celebrate the fun and festivities of the winter season. I just produced show 021 titled Winter’s Fun Family Traditions hosted on The Organized Woman Show. My sister Cindi was my invited guest. She has done such a great job of bringing her family together each time she sees an open opportunity. She shared three fun ideas for building family closeness with winter time family traditions. My show partner, Laura, and I each shared three ideas of our own for beginning new family traditions. Listen to the show by clicking on the bolded link a few lines up. Learn about Cindi’s family’s “Story around the Tree”, Laura’s family’s “Christmas Eve House” and my family’s “Camera, Lights, Cocoa” family traditions.

My friend, Kim Shields, who is SO GREAT at finding time not only for her own children, but including many of the neighborhood children in her fun times, emailed me a these great ideas:

I was interviewed on the WIN Show (The Womens Information Network) this month because I am a show co-host with The Organized Woman Show. In the interview, we talked about how my free WIN online radio show, The Organized Woman Show, can benefit listeners in their lives. We touched on systems for organizing your shoes, systems for organizing your papers, systems for organizing your time, and how to organize any portion of your life. To watch the interview, click the title here:The Organized Woman Show with Vicki Winterton.

My show co-host, Laura, and I record and upload 8 new shows a month. Our shows talk you through the steps to plan and organize your spaces, your papers, your office, your family, your personal time, etc.

I offer you options to organize your life and bring relief to life’s obvious pitfalls! Are you tired of feeling overworked and unable to maintain control of your life? After participating in any of these options you will feel you are better able to take control of your time, spaces, family, etc.

1. Please join me as I present a quarterly UtahValleyUniversity Small Business Development Center Workshop which focuses on helping you begin a successful business with low-cost and no-cost marketing strategies.

Now, if that is not enough, here is help #2 for organizing your life a little better.